Birthday Questions

This is an idea we got from "Ms. Kelly" O'Brien - asking a set of questions to the kids every year on their birthdays. The plan is to make a short movie every year on each kids' birthday, asking the same questions.

Here are the questions.

1. What's your name?
2. How old are you today?
3. How does it feel to be X?
4. Favorite thing to do at home? 
5. With mommy?
6. With daddy?
7. outside?
8. If you can go anywhere today, where would you want to go?
9. How would we get there?
10. What's your favorite thing to do for breakfast?
11. Dinner?
12. What's your favorite mat3am (restaurant)?
13. What are your chores at home?
14. Who are some of your friends?
15. Who's coming to your birthday party?
16. What's your favorite memory you have when you were X-1?
17. What's the best thing about being X?
18. What's your favorite song to sing?  Can you sing it?
19. What's your favorite color?
20. Do you have a favorite number?
21. What's your favorite show?
22. Anything else you want to say on your birthday?

Refinance Now: Lowest Rates with Pacific Finance Group

Interest rates are at historic lows - literally the lowest they've been in over 30 years.  This is an excellent time to refinance your current mortgage or get a new loan.

I shopped around for the lowest rates and fees and found that Pacific Finance Group (located in Kirkland, Wa) was the best.  I worked with Brandi Brooks who was amazing.  She's quick to answer emails and phone calls even in the evenings.  She took the time to explain and answer all my questions.

To my friends: I highly recommend that you give her a call or send an email to ask for a quote.  Here's her contact information.  Give her a call and tell her that "George referred me."

Brandi Brooks

brandi@pacificfinancenw.com

Loan Processor

Pacific Finance Group, LLC

253.737.5606 Direct

253.220.3161 Fax

You will have to get an official quote from her, but here are some possible rates.  You can compare rates against others too.

• 3.25% - 5/1 ARM
• 4.25% - 30 year fixed

Use SmugMug to Backup and Share Photos and Videos

I’ve been using SmugMug for the past 2 years and love it!

They provide unlimited storage and traffic of images and videos with any account (starting at $40/yr). Here’s a list of features. There’s also a free 14-day trial.

I especially like their gallery management, privacy controls and customization to be far superior than Flickr. I use my own customer domain and modified the footer to display Amazon ads J. And, as a budding photographer, I’ve uploaded and shared many galleries with my friends. It’s easy to send emails about galleries and even collect traffic metrics.

To batch upload, I use the “Send to SmugMug” tool which is easy and preserves info such as title, categories and EXIF data. There are also several other tools available.

* You can save an extra $5 by using coupon code “xZYkzT1N9QPj2” in the “Referred by” field.

Feel free to ask me if you have any other questions.

Kindle for Android Now Available!

Today Amazon.com released the latest Kindle application - Kindle for Android. You can now read more than 600,000 books on your Android phone (no Kindle required).

And less than 24 hours after releasing, Kindle for Android is the #1 Top Free app in the Android Market:

Today, the app is featured on the Amazon.com main page:

A few highlights

• 
  
  Get the best reading experience available on your Android phone. No Kindle required 
• Access your Kindle books even if you don't have your Kindle with you 
• Automatically synchronizes your last page read and annotations between devices with Whispersync 
• Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle, computer, or other Kindle-compatible device 
• Read in portrait or landscape mode 
• Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages  
• Future Improvements

Read more

• Engadget
• Amazon Kindle Forum

Reviews

• GearDiary.com Review
• Engadget
• T-Mobile Vibrant Phone Review - featuring Kindle for Android
• Other

Scan this code on your Android device to go to the app's page in the Market:

Where to Buy Diapers

If you're kids are not yet potty trained, then your wallet's hurting because diapers aren't cheap.  And you're probably also always looking for the best place and price for these poop holders.

A lot of people go to Costco simply for the "value pack argument," others default to Babies R Us and some shop online at diapers.com for potty-balloons.  But are these the best places to get diapers?

After a lot of research (and a few emergency trips to the nearest location), I found Amazon.com to be the best place for diapers - both for convenience and price.

Amazon.com's prices are already low.  When you order through Subscribe & Save, you'll automatically receive a new delivery of the item in the interval that you select at an additional 15% off.  This makes Huggies brand diapers cheaper than diapers.com and even Costco's Kirkland Signature brand.

For example,Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers, Size 1-2 (Up to 15 Lbs), Disney, Pack of 192 Diapers are normally $33.99 ($0.18/unit) and $28.89 ($0.15/unit) when purchased with Subscribe & Save.  This is cheaper than Costco's brand at diapers.com and Huggies anywhere else.

Google Voice: 5 Reasons to Use It, 5 Reasons to Think Twice

Google Voice: 5 Reasons to Use It, 5 Reasons to Think Twice

I've been using Google Voice on my Android phone for a few months now and I love the voicemail and transcription feature. You can now try it out for yourself without an invitation!

New Careers for Andraws Family

There has been some recent changes to the Andraws family.

George: I left Microsoft and joined Amazon.com about a month ago where I'm working on the Kindle team. This new position lets me focus on my strengths as a Quality Assurance Engineer while maintaining a high level of technical expertise. It's a perfect next step in my career. So far, being an Amazonian has been great.

Magda: And - more importantly - Magda also left her position at Microsoft as a Program Manager. She is now a fulltime mother. Why leave a promising career at a successful company, you ask? I'll answer with another question: Have you seen Rashie? It was an easy decision for our family when we thought about what's most important to us. In the end, we decided that whatever financial sacrifices are needed in the future will pail in comparison to the riches gained by spending time together now.

Rashie is now 8 months old and growing every day. She is the joy in our lives and we are blessed in many, many ways.